"Even I understand that this thing is extremely dangerous."
"You don't know the true danger that can turn you to ash or a walking corpse in the blink of an eye."
Entire countries scorched by ethereal fire, filled with living dead, vessels of ethereals, their grotesque golems of flesh and metal, and... a dead atmosphere. A single breath, no, a single touch of the contaminated air was enough to cause terrible necrotic burns or instantly burn out the lungs and eyes. Castor saw with his own eyes how people died in agony. Perhaps their stupidity and unwillingness to heed his warnings punished them in this way, but... No one deserved this. Regardless of intelligence or origin, everyone deserves a quiet and peaceful death without unnecessary suffering. And it doesn't matter whether they meet their end by the sword on the battlefield or by disease in their beds. The agony before oblivion... It is terrible in its inhumanity.
Castor sighed and looked out the window. Rain dripped down the glass, tapping on it as if asking to be let in. The city did not look gloomy, but Brinel felt that deep in its history, the capital had experienced much pain and been saturated with blood. Over the years of the Dark Dawn, the mage had learned to sense such places. It was easy when an entire planet had been turned into an endless battlefield...
Bucharest. The capital of Romania, a European country rich in ancient culture and history.
"How foolish. There is no point in this move — it will only help our opponent get ahead.
The archmage sighed and shook his head. His smile exuded only coldness and a hint of contempt. No, thoughts of a trip through the historic part of the city brought him joy and peace. These houses and streets were similar to those left on his now-destroyed planet. It was nice to immerse himself in an atmosphere of nostalgia and memories. However, Malmut was more of an industrial city, unlike Bucharest.
"And yet."
"Drayg, I don't plan to hide my origins or powers just because of a possible encounter with local mistakes of nature," the mage replied coldly, watching neutrally as his stupidest teammates handed over the dragon. No, not his personal parasite.
"Vampires are not the easiest opponents."
Castor looked disappointedly at the defeat screen and exited the game. Then he slowly got up from the table, closed his laptop (an extremely useful thing to have when travelling), and walked over to the window.
"Bloodsuckers who are incapable of existing without the blood of other living beings?" the mage allowed himself to snort. "They're not even enemies.
"I've met cult leaders who did things far worse than some incomprehensible mutation of a blood-sucking insect.
"Worse than instantly drying a person out?" Ddraig's scepticism was palpable, but Castor merely shifted his gaze to the burning lights in the distance.
"Hundreds dried up in the blink of an eye.
Brinel looked up. A picture appeared before his eyes: hundreds of living people standing in a huge chthonic magic circle, with Salazar at its centre. Words in an ancient and forgotten language came from under the cultist's helmet, and when his blade pierced the heart of one of the victims... The air was filled with screams. The cries of agony of hundreds of souls being torn apart alive. Blood poured from every pore of their skin, their eyes burst, leaving liquid inside, bones cracked and ground into dust. Flesh was squeezed like citrus fruit to extract the blood.
"I saw. I heard. I understood. But I couldn't help or save them. That's why I don't deserve the title of hero. I never did.
The mage exhaled slowly, and his smile disappeared, replaced by a straight line. Old wounds continued to bleed, reminding him of one fact: no matter how strong he was, in the end, he was useless and helpless in the face of something greater.
"I need to clear my mind of useless information," Castor smiled again, but it vanished when he saw the silhouette of his family in the window. His family, disappointed in him.
***
Over the past few months, Ddraig had grown accustomed to his surroundings. And to the behaviour of his grumpy old partner! Yes, he may look young, but he grumbles like an old human grandfather! Sometimes he even reaches the level of a dragon! But overall? The dragon exhaled clouds of steam from his nostrils and grinned with his mouth. Overall, not bad at all. Of course, it was unusual not to chase power or watch endless training sessions, but this break was really enjoyable. His conflict with Albion? The Red Dragon Emperor closed his eyes and lay down on what could be called the floor. As Brinel says, what's the point if you can't enjoy victory anyway? And she's right. Just... habit? Dragons are very stubborn and rarely able to change their way of thinking.
Was he worried about his partner? A little. But much less than for everyone else. Castor had demonstrated that he would not obey anyone, nor would he hide his powers. Well... Or meddle in the affairs of the magical world. The desire to live an ordinary life... Drayg sighed. It would be nice.
"You were quick with him," said the dragon, sensing the smell of inhuman blood.
"Despite his origins and behaviour, this creature does not deserve to suffer.
Hmm... The child of the night chose the wrong target to quench his thirst. Brinel did not tolerate or ignore the persistent hypnosis, but immediately finished off the vampire. He simply plunged an icy blade into his head and instantly froze his body.
The old dragon grunted. This man is strange. He's an outsider. He's different from all the local people and non-humans, unwilling to follow the local rules to the letter, but at the same time calmly accustomed to the new order. Look, they've already visited most of the countries of the Old World. Tomorrow they would set off for Dracula's castle, and the day after tomorrow Castor would continue eastward to Russia.
And the journey was not without purpose! The mage has accumulated many notebooks filled with notes on the culture of different countries, as well as the peculiarities of their way of life and worldview! At first, Drayg couldn't believe it! But Castor wrote and wrote, not shy about asking questions that interested him! Curiosity directed not at magic, but at history and culture! Yes, this also distinguishes Brinel from the magicians the dragon was used to.
But this asshole is silent. He doesn't judge countries or show any unnecessary emotions. Just a sincere desire to learn and remember. That's all. Castor didn't show any admiration or dissatisfaction with the manifestations of different cultures! At all! Even when he was insulted for some of his questions, the mage didn't even bat an eyelid! Drayg was expecting a fight or a Brinel-style response, cold and calm, but very sharp, but nothing!
Yes... A strange mage. Who also started to get into this game... What's it called? League of something. As the veteran himself said, this game should develop tactical thinking, teamwork, and the ability to assess one's own strengths. But... It turned out not to be so rosy. The other players weren't as smart as the mage wanted them to be, but he continues to play... What's it called... Forest, I think. At the same time, he makes friends and communicates with a bunch of people in various chat rooms! How?! Like this: Castor's manner of speech attracts attention, especially his ways of disparaging other people. Strange? People have always had their quirks.
"You didn't want to hunt vampires, did you?" Ddraig asked his partner when he killed another bloodsucker.
"Ddraig. I'm suffering from a lack of information. I need some information about this type of creature.
"And that's why you froze another one?" asked the Dragon Emperor sarcastically, looking through his partner's eyes to see what he had done again. This time, the blow struck the vampire right in the heart with an icy spear, followed by the freezing of his entire body.
"No. The reason is that they prevent me from enjoying the local sights, brazenly trying to hypnotise me or even capture me without any ulterior motive," Castor's voice betrayed his irritation and sincere incomprehension. Ddraig would not have been able to understand this before, but after so much time, he had learned to distinguish between the nuances of certain emotions.
"I don't know much about bloodsuckers either," the dragon shook his head. "They are secretive and rarely venture outside their habitat. But why do you want this information?"
"I want to know how this species affects the ecosystem and the magical world as a whole. Because I believe that without an important influence on the world, these creatures have no right to exist. Like parasites that are of no use," Brinel paused and looked down the street. "And if their usefulness is not proven, I will personally destroy this vile species."
"Uh-huh..." Ddraig sighed and closed his eyes, but then he perked up when the meaning of the words sank in. "Wait, WHAT?!"
***
"Kaicho, is everything okay?"
"Huh? Yes, Tsubaki, everything's fine. Thanks for your concern. You can go, I'll finish the rest myself.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes.
Sona sighed as her queen and deputy left the office. The demon took off her glasses and massaged her bridge, looking tiredly at the ceiling. Lately, she had been haunted by an unhealthy anxiety, curiosity, and even horror. Her sister's words about an alien walking among them surprised Sitri, but the fact that he was easily able to stand up to the Lord was already causing her concern. She didn't understand Castor's way of thinking, so she couldn't predict his behaviour either. That was what bothered her. The inability to understand and predict.
But at the same time, an unhealthy curiosity wanted to know everything. Starting with the origin of Brinel's powers and ending with questions about the other world. Foreigners had already been in their history, but they either disappeared or died in local conflicts. And they weren't particularly powerful enough to stay out of it all and live a peaceful life. And here? This one doesn't even care about the rules of the world and just lives his life, yet he has the power to fight for that right. But then the question is... What would have to happen for a person to want nothing more than a peaceful life?
And third... It's terrifying. Scratching at the edge of sanity, slowly growing stronger due to ignorance. A man with such power is incomprehensible and unpredictable... It's scary to imagine what he's capable of. And no one knows what's going on in his head! At any moment, he could snap and kill everyone in the school or the whole town! Or maybe not, she didn't know. That was the problem.
"Healthy curiosity..." Sona whispered and smiled. "If only it were healthy.
A dilemma. Of course, it could be solved simply by talking to the mage, but that was the problem. How would he react? She couldn't say for sure or even predict. Anything was possible. It could range from a normal conversation and her being reassured to her being put to rest. Sona stretched and looked wearily at the next pile of documents. Well, now she could relax a little: Castor had finished his year as an external student and had left to see the world. He wasn't in town, so this ghostly threat wasn't hanging over them, but when he returned... She had to do something. Anything! Otherwise, paranoia would drive her to her grave without the help of any otherworldly magicians!
"I wish I had my sister's carefree attitude right now..." Sithri pulled the mug of cold coffee towards her and clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. It was going to be... a long night.
***
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